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Politics and Bedfellows

Today’s Senate education committee meeting produced two strange allies in a fight against SJR 2308, which would create an elected education commissioner and strip power from the Board of Governors.

Both the board, which oversees Florida’s university system, and former Gov. Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future, are opposing the resolution.
Bush dismantled the previous university governing board when he was in office and fought the creation of the Board of Governors, which voters approved via constitutional amendment in 2002.
The two groups seem to be the lone dissenters though.

Several other leading education agencies in the state are in favor of the proposal including the Florida Association of School Superintendents and the Florida School Boards Association.
The plan was unanimously approved by the committee, whose members had harsh words for State University Chancellor Mark Rosenberg.
“I’ve been here 15 years and I’ve not had one Board of Governor visit me to give me any kind of report on anything that they’ve ever done,” said Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami.
Bush’s foundation and the Board of Governors believe the bill will politicize education and force universities to compete against each other for funding.
But Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Delray Beach, said he believes it all boils down to who gets to set tuition. That question currently rests with the court system, although lawmakers and the board are both claiming the power for themselves.